Special rules for statutory inheritance
The spouse inherits before relatives of the collateral line as a legal heir. However, this only applies if there are neither descendants nor parents or other ancestors. In this case, the spouse receives a right of usufruct to the estate. Other legal heirs include the siblings of the deceased and the descendants of siblings. Finally, the deceased's collateral relatives up to the fourth degree are entitled to inherit; otherwise, the region of Aragon is the legal heir. This means that there can never be no heirs at all.
Special rules for testamentary succession
Joint wills are also permitted in Aragon. These can be drawn up not only by married couples, but by anyone. The only requirement is that at least one of the testators is a citizen of Aragon and that the other testator's national law does not prohibit a joint will.
Special rules regarding compulsory share law
In Aragon, only descendants are entitled to inheritance by operation of law. A comparison with Spanish law is warranted. You will find this article.The testator can distribute the forced heirship share among their descendants as they see fit. This differs from Spanish common law, where all forced heirs receive the same share. For further questions, please contact Dr. Michael Gottschalk, your specialist lawyer for inheritance law in Düsseldorf and Krefeld.